Friday Mailbag: Drama in the Big Ten

Here is the Friday Mailbag. As always, if you have questions, send them to me via Twitter at BFeldmanCBS.

From @ShawnMoritz Do you think Bielema has a legit argument against Urban and his recruiting tactics?

Well, I'd love to know exactly what Bret Bielema is talking about in regards to Meyer's tactics. During his Signing Day press conference, the Wisconsin coach made reference to Meyer using "illegal" recruiting tactics. What rules specifically was the new OSU coach breaking? Bielema spoke to the Sporting News on Thursday:

“I called Urban and we spoke about it,” Bielema said. “We talked about it, and he said it would stop and it did. I’ll let our commissioner deal with anything else. That’s not who we are (in the Big Ten). We settle things among ourselves as coaches.”

One issue Bielema would talk about—and it’s perfectly legal under current NCAA rules—is Meyer’s recruitment of players who already had given verbal commitments to other Big Ten schools. It has been a longstanding “gentlemen’s agreement” in the league that coaches wouldn’t recruit players who had publicly given commitments to schools.

On top of that, there were also some folks at Michigan State who weren't thrilled with Meyer either apparently. In reality, rival coaches never seem to mind when a program is losing out on coveted recruits or not winning games, but when it's the opposite that's when coaches get chaffed.

IF it all stems from one program going after another program's commitments, and this isn't the first time we've heard some carping about this within the Big Ten, I'm shrugging my shoulders on it. Welcome to the 21st Century, Big Ten. To paraphrase Dan Hawkins, it's D1 football. They're all competing for Rose Bowls and BCS bowls (at least theoretically), and even if Big Ten coaches are trying to be demure in their explanations, it all ends up reduced to he said/he said, gossipy semantics.

This all feels a lot like the laments about negative recruiting and how coaches spin that they really don't do it, when they essentially all do. The upshot: it only adds to the intrigue when we actually get back into the games.

A final point about this: One thing that has happened in the aftermath of signing day is there really has been a lot of muddled reaction/grousing in comments made by coaches to both the media and/or booster groups that has gotten picked up and parsed around via social media, and in that process has created quite a combustible brew that has gotten lumped together. It's a big mess and been hard to keep straight about who said what about whom?

From @hogeandrew
What were the most shocking announcements on LOI day?

Seeing five-star WR Deontay Greenberry, a long-time Notre Dame commit, flip to Houston on Signing Day. Just getting Greenberry to visit UH was something of a stunner considering how many bigger programs tried to sway this kid. But for Tony Levine's program to actually reel him in was THE shocker of the day. It wasn't even like this was a local kid UH was keeping home. It was a California guy, but the track record of the Cougars offense and the fact that they have to replace four prolific wideouts only sweetened UH's sales pitch.

You're talking to someone who just did eight-hours straight of live signing day coverage. I also spent two years of my life detailing the inner workings of the recruiting process a few years ago, and the whole thing has only gotten crazier in the five years since.

Out of hand? Yep, it is. And I, along with my brethren in the media would be kidding myself if I didn't own up to the fact that we contribute to the madness by covering it, and yes, hyping it. Often times, it seems like one big farce. Truth is, it is a huge business and because so many people are addicted to it, things only get more out of hand each year.

From @jeffriesj78with Iowa's good recruiting class this year, multiple 4* and nice group of 3*, how high can we go next season?

From the coaches I've talked to over the past few months, the Hawkeyes landed a few really coveted guys with the athleticism to come in and contribute right away: RB Greg Garmon and D-lineman Faith Ekakitie, who one rival recruiter told me was one of the most gifted line prospects in the entire country. He and fellow DL Jaleel Johnson may be too talented not to get into the rotation, especially for a program that has lost five outstanding D-linemen in the past two seasons to the NFL.

Garmon and another RB signee Barkley Hill will get really long looks in camp because tailback is a big need for the Hawkeyes given the departures of Marcus Coker and Mika'il McCall.

In terms of Iowa's prospects in 2012, it sure helps that
James Vandenberg is back. He's one of the more talented QBs in the country and had a strong first season as a starter, although he did tail off some in the final two games of the year.
Overall, I feel like this program may have lost too many key guys (on the O-line, Marvin McNutt) to be a top 15 team, but this is always gonna be a well-coached group and there is still plenty of talent to crack the top 25 IF the young guys can step into significant roles.

From @CarlBleich for Florida's big 3...was there a bigger recruiting get than Miami getting Tracy Howard?

FSU, UF and Miami each landed more than their share of gems on Wednesday. DT Eddie Goldman was cause for big celebration in the Noles war room, and Florida snagging Dante Fowler surely elicited similar in Gainesville, but I doubt either tops the significance of the nation's top CB, Tracy Howard opting to stay home and play at Miami. The two biggest reasons: First, Miami has been depleted at corner for the past two years. Second, it makes a huge statement for a program that has the cloud of an NCAA investigation hanging over it that appeared like it was going to scare off most local blue-chippers (outside of RB Duke Johnson) but in the end, that didn't happen. And Howard, a guy who sounded like a long-shot for Miami just a few weeks earlier, is major proof of the belief recruits have in Al Golden's program. Howard's statement is very big for the Class of 2013 as well, much as I would say Dorial Green-Beckham signing with Mizzou is for the Tigers in big picture sense because it tells future blue-chippers, Mizzou is "big-time."

From olemissking1977
How do you think Miss States class did, I live The Dline Mullen put together

It was a very impressive group. State landed arguably the top JC player in the nation in DE Denico Autry, who was chased after by half the SEC. Autry is a small-town kid and just loved the fit there. Starkville is the biggest place he's ever lived. DT Quay Evans, who's already at MSU was one of the top interior guys in the South. Evans is the typical, explosive D-tackle that has helped spark the SEC into the elite college football conference. One other coup was beating Tennessee, Stanford and arch-rival Ole Miss for Richie Brown, the top linebacker in the state of Mississippi and four-star talent Beniquez Brown, who was another hot commodity.

Friday Mailbag: Drama in the Big Ten

Urban Meyer is already bringing his dirty dealing SEC ways into a conference where the coaches still have some sort of values. Ohio State is a perfect fit for this slimy character.

Since: Mar 2, 2007

Posted on: February 4, 2012 8:45 am

Friday Mailbag: Drama in the Big Ten

Hmmm, Teres Minor...I'll bet if you talk to every school's recruits they'll say that their school of choice was the only one that didn't use shady tactics to recruit them. Don't be so gullible.

Since: Aug 4, 2009

Posted on: February 4, 2012 8:41 am

Friday Mailbag: Drama in the Big Ten

in the mean time he will help bounce back ohio state football and beat michigan a couple of times.

michigan fans talking about ethics. i remember the fab 5! that was a classy bunch of kids!

Since: Jun 5, 2011

Posted on: February 4, 2012 8:23 am

Friday Mailbag: Drama in the Big Ten

On negative recruiting: a few Michigan recruits were quoted as saying that Michigan was the only school that never negatively recruited anyone else. Michigan does it right and just tells kids about Michigan. It probably loses them a few recruits along the way, but they don't have many coaches resigning for stomach problems, either.

Also notably absent from Michigan recruiting and Big Ten recruiting in general: "Southern Hospitality." I"m guessing that Urban Meyer brought "hostess sandwiches" with him from Florida, and Ohio State was using their version as far back as Maurice Clarett's time as a "student-athlete," but the rest of the Big Ten doesn't do nearly what they do at SEC schools or Ohio State.

At any rate, Urban Meyer is off to a great start in Columbus. As we've seen, though, he can sometimes be his own worst enemy. There is a reason that he doesn't stay anywhere for very long. We'll see how long before he develops what he likes to call "health problems" again.

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